For the last three years, our family has observed Advent with both a wreath and Jesse Tree ornaments. The ritual has woven beautifully into our Christmas season and has been a tangible way for our daughter to grasp the narrative of the story from Creation to the birth of Christ. After some conversations about how we might be more intentional in our celebration of Easter, we’re incorporating the idea for this season as well.

Several years ago, I read No Ordinary Home: The Uncommon Art of Christ-Centered Homemaking by Carol Brazo. (I can’t recommend this book enough!) She explains how her family began the practice of celebrating Easter with a Lent Tree. The book was one I borrowed from the library but I discovered that Andrea’s family has used the same resource and she was kind enough to post a list of the daily readings and suggested corresponding symbols. (Click over to her post for the daily readings.) Her family has gathered objects for the ornaments – something we might try once our children are a little older – but since our five-year old is into coloring these days, I opted for simplicity. I’m sketching ornaments for each day to cut out and color. They could be hung on a Lent Tree (dried branches or twigs) or strung on a garland. I am behind on getting these scanned and formatted properly, so I’m playing a bit of catch-up but we’d love to share them with you. The first sixteen days are ready to print. I’ll be adding the others as we go along. We’ll be doing more than one a day for a day or two to catch up. It’s not too late to begin! To print your own, simply right-click on each page below. Print each page as an 8×10 or smaller for best print quality. You can copy and paste them into a Word document, resize each image/page to 8×10, and print them all at once if that’s easier. Hope you enjoy!

I’ve been compiling a list of age-appropriate chores for our preschooler. Some of them can be done independently, and some will require my supervision. Some chores are everyday chores and others will only be done as needed. I decided on chore cards instead of a chart to guide her through her tasks, since they will vary each day. I wanted something visual so that she can work independently and momma doesn’t have to nag nudge her along. I had so much fun creating these tiny sketches for her. I’ve completed seventeen cards so far, but there will be more. (If there’s a chore you’d like to add, tell me in the comments and I’ll do my best to add it with the next batch.) Here is the list of age appropriate chores for young children that I’ve compiled so far:

Each morning, I’ll insert the cards for the day into a little photo book (the dollar store variety) so she can carry it around with her while she does her tasks. If the book keeps disappearing, we might end up with in the kitchen labeled “TO DO” and “DONE”. They could also be turned into magnets for the fridge. I’ll let you know how it goes.

To get your free printable chore cards, right-click on each image below and save it to your computer. Print as an 8×10 or smaller for best print quality. Want to share? I’d be honored, but PLEASE use the first image at the top of the post and PLEASE link back to this post. These are for personal use only. Thanks so much!

For months I’ve struggled to organize my thoughts for this space. Ideas, inspiration, and lines of prose are scattered about in tattered spirals and litter the kitchen counter in not-so-neat stacks. I’ve looked for a solution but haven’t quite found a planner to meet my need, so I decided to make a printable blog planner and share it with you. There are five pages in all. Each week is a two-page spread. You’ll print the first two pages (the ones with the days of the week) so that they face one another when they’re inserted into a three-ring binder.

The free planner includes:

a weekly two-page spread with space to record the topic, sources, category, photography and other notes for each day’s post

a long-range planning sheet to capture ideas and inspiration for future posts as it comes to mind. Record the topic, category, any sources you’d like to use, a potential post date, and a place to mark whether the post is “done” and ready for publishing.

a log to record usernames and passwords for online sites and tools that you use regularly

I’ve created the first three pages in two colorways: citrus (pictured above), and asparagus (below). Please note that the link-up schedule and the username and password log are in a separate document. When you first open it, it may appear that it won’t print correctly, but once you hit the PRINT button and it downloads as a PDF, it will print just fine.8******** ***

These free printable blog planners are for personal use only. If you’d like to share them, I’d be tickled, and you’re more than welcome to grab any of the images here for your post, so long as you link back to this post, and not directly to the PDF files. (Please, and thanks!) I hope you enjoy!

Some playthings are timeless. Paper dolls, for instance. I played with them. My mother played with them. My little one received this set for her birthday. She has loved the books by Laura Ingalls Wilder – the same ones my mother read to me as a child – so these have been dearly loved as well. While this particular set is not available for free (but oh so reasonable from the independent sellers, here), we have other collections that we have printed for free. There are so many darling sets of paper dolls available online for you to print at home. And the best part is that when one gets a bit love-worn, a new one is just a click away.

“I WOULD MAINTAIN THAT THANKS ARE THE HIGHEST FORM OF THOUGHT, AND THAT GRATITUDE IS HAPPINESS, DOUBLED BY WONDER.”

G.K. CHESTERTON

Thanksgiving is often a blur to me – a quick stopping off before Christmas. Yes, I relish the long weekend with family and the bountiful spread of food but in all the hustle and bustle, I forget why we’re gathered. I’m purposing to remember this year…and the next.

Each month we’ll thank Him for good and perfect gifts by writing them on the letters (you could write on the front or back). It just so happens there are 12 letters in “THANKSGIVING” – one for every month. We’re beginning with November – the letter N in the banner. Next year on November 1, we’ll transfer it to the mantle as a reminder of all we have been given and begin a new banner for a new year (beginning with the letter N again). You could begin with any month, of course.

Imagine the memories documented if we did this year after year? What a sweet reminder of His faithfulness to pass on to our children and theirs. Would you like to do the same? I created a free printable Thanksgiving banner to share. Simply right-click on each image and save them to your computer. Each image should be printed no larger than 8 x 10 for best print quality. If you’d prefer to use your own scrapbook paper, rather than printer ink, just print them in grayscale (draft quality) and use them as templates to cut out your own. Then add the months to each letter by hand.

I’m working on a calendar version as well – with days and dates in tiny print.
Check back soon!

If you'd like to share something you see here, I'd be honored. Feel free to link to any of my posts but please do not republish these contents (words or images) without my permission. I am Pinterest friendly!